Jill DuffyKick Buttowski: Loco Launcho (for iPhone)Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho turns go-karting on its head by being a single-player action game instead of the typical PvP. Artwork and sounds seem more suited to fidgety children than gamers, but the gameplay is solid.

Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho turns go-karting on its head by being a single-player action game instead of the typical PvP. Artwork and sounds seem more suited to fidgety children than gamers, but the gameplay is solid.

Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho is a free iPhone game based on Disney's animated children's television show, Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil. In the game, the show's lead character, Clarence "Kick" Buttowski, pushes his go-kart racing to new daredevil limits. Unlike most other go-kart games that focus on racing, Kick Buttowski is a single-player action game. It's a side-scroller for the most part, with a single-screen twitch game at the start of every level.

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In each level, Kick races down a ramp with the player spurring on his speed, and launches so high into the sky that he reaches atmospheric heights. The goal is to help Kick perform obnoxiously flashy stunts as he flies through the air to score points. Additional points are earned based on distance traveled and maximum height reachedhit the minimum score for both of these to pass the level. While Kick Buttowski is sure to delight any restless child under the age of 12, it's mildly fun for adults, too.

Twitching
At the start of each level, Kick is in his go-kart, positioned to start rolling down a ramp. The player's task is to hit a green spot on a speedometer whenever the needle reaches ita twitch game that lasts a few seconds (see the slideshow). Every time the player succeeds, the go-kart gains speed, adding up to a better launch. The twitch mechanic bothered me because 1) I was bad at it and 2) my finger, hovered over the dial, blocking the screen enough that it was hard to see when the needle actually touched the target.

Once the go-kart zooms off the ramp, it becomes airborne, and it's the player's job to boost it higher using by tapping a "lift" button on the screen. Limited lifts (the number varies per level) must be used wisely to try and guide Kick to capture stars and other bonus items or steer through hoops. When the player makes a hoop, Kick pops into stunt mode, turning back flips and doing other tricks that earn more points.

Eventually, the thrust of the go-kart wears off, and Kick starts his long descent back toward earth, which, if uncontrolled, can become a freefall. Most of the time, Kick will randomly hit an object and lose his wheels during the fall, so he is then a tiny boy hurtling through the sky. Hidden trampolines, which just happen to be floating in mid-air, help break his fall, mitigating some, but not all, of the anxiety of watching a tiny daredevil kid plummet hundreds of feet toward the ground. Kick hits the ground, bounces and few times, comes to a wiped-out rest, and raises his fist in triumph. The game then tallies all your points to see if you've passed the level.

Playtime and Add Ons
Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho has 10 levels in all. After the third or fourth level, the difficulty increases enough that I had to play them a few times before I cleared them. In other words, the full game contains at least an hour or two of playtimemore if, like me, you're less adept at twitch gaming.

Between levels, you can pop into the Upgrade Store to spend your points on additional items to enhance Kick and his go-kart. I had earned enough Wow Points after playing for only a few minutes to buy extra "confidence" and a parachute. The parachutes slow down the descent, letting you glide much farther than you could go without them. Thrust boosters also help you travel more distance and are somewhat essential to passing the level. I like that you can purchase items with points rather than actual credit card payments, and parents should like this, too.

Graphics and Sound
The sound effects, which mostly consist of gentle twangs and pings, do have intermittent wheedly-wheedly guitar riffs, and the artwork flashes blocks of primary colors at the player, all screaming for attention.

Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho (for iPhone)

Bottom Line: Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho turns go-karting on its head by being a single-player action game instead of the typical PvP. Artwork and sounds seem more suited to fidgety children than gamers, but the gameplay is solid.

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About the Author

Jill Duffy is a contributing editor, specializing in productivity apps and software, as well as technologies for health and fitness. She writes the weekly Get Organized column, with tips on how to lead a better digital life. Her first book, Get Organized: How to Clean Up Your Messy Digital Life is available for Kindle, iPad, and other digital forma... See Full Bio

Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho (f...

Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho (for iPhone)

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